Why Lasizwe’s choice of 'homophobic' guest has upset many netizens

YouTuber and content creator Thulasizwe Dambuza, fondly known as Lasizwe, has ruffled some feathers with his latest “Awkward Date” guest.

The 26-year-old creator took to his social media to announce his latest guest, Simon Kaggwa Njala, for an upcoming episode of his popular YouTube show “Awkward Date”.

Njala is a media personality and journalist from Uganda who gained notoriety after an interview on the Ugandan show, “Morning Breeze” with Pepe Julian Onziema, who is an LGBTQIA+ rights activist in a country where being gay is criminalised.

The interview was about the Ugandan LGBTQIA+ community. During the discussion between the two, Njala asked Onziema, who also presents as a trans man, “Why are you gay?” which became a viral meme.

Although the interview took place in 2012, the video surfaced in 2019, and if you were chronically online then, you know that this meme was used a lot all over social media.

The question became a famous tagline that ended up on many T-shirts. While it was all fun and games for many, it was not a pleasant time for the LGBTQIA+ community, who have fought and still continue to fight oppression.

Evidently, Njala came across as homophobic because he could not fathom Onziema’s sexual preference, which is why Dambuza’s announcement has sparked outrage among his fans.

Dambuza shared pictures of himself and the Ugandan journalist along with a snippet of the famous interview on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption; “I said ‘ARE YOU READY??’”. However, some have questioned the genuineness of the pictures as they seem to be AI-generated.

As someone who belongs to the LGBTQIA+ community himself, Dambuza’s decision shocked many and was met with mixed reactions from fans, with some finding humour in the announcement and others finding it odd that he would invite a “homophobe” to his show during Pride Month.

An X user, @LukanyoBee, said: “Being gay and choosing to give a platform to a Ugandan homophobe during Pride Month is... something. Not smart, though. 🌚”

Another user, @mwaura___, commented: “What a weirdo you are! Queer Ugandans live under a very hostile and homophobic socio-legal environment; some have even been forced to flee for their lives, a hostile environment created by people like this man you are platforming. Have you got no shame?”

Some of Dambuza’s fans shared their excitement about watching the episode when it drops. @JeffreyHustle commented: “Ok, I am definitely going to watch this one. 😂😂😂”, while another X user, @SassySalsy, commented: “So ready 🤣🤣”.